NEW: Wright City man charged with Boone monument theft
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| Matthew Burgoyne |
A Wright City man has been charged with stealing a plaque marking the Daniel and Rebecca Boone burial site near Marthasville.
The monument, which was bolted to a large granite marker in a private cemetery on Boone Monument Road, was reported stolen June 24.
Matthew M. Burgoyne, 27, of Northridge Apartments in Wright City, has been charged with institutional vandalism and felony stealing. His bond was set at $20,000.
Warren County Sheriff Kevin Harrison said the 35-by-25-inch bronze plaque was cut up into pieces to be sold for scrap metal at salvage yards in Washington, Mo., and St. Peters.
He said Burgoyne got about $100 for pieces of the plaque. Estimates are that it would cost $10,000 or more to reproduce and replace the monument.
The plaque was placed at the site in 1915 by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Boone was a militia officer during the Revolutionary War.
Harrison said police were tipped off by a resident, and Detective Scott Schoenfeld developed a lead in the theft. Schoenfeld visited salvage companies in surrounding counties to collect receipts from sales of the bronze from the plaque.
The investigation determined the plaque had been cut into pieces and sold to salvage companies in Washington and St. Peters. Deputies obtained consent to search Burgoyne’s mother’s residence, located off Highway D outside Marthasville. There, they recovered two small remaining pieces of the plaque.
Harrison said he hopes to return the remaining pieces of the monument to the Daughters of the American Revolution, so its members could melt the pieces down and incorporate them into a new monument.
Ken Kamper, a historian with the Boone Society, said he believes the plaque will be replaced by DAR, and that the Boone Society probably would assist the organization.
Karen Wright, of the Hardin Camp Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, said the plaque probably will be replaced.
"Since the Daughters of the American Revolution put it out there, they would have some part in replacing it, I imagine," she said.
"Years ago, you wouldn’t even think about things like this happening," said Kamper, of Hermann. "The important thing is for the message to get out that it’s very difficult for somebody to do that and get by with it."
He said he was impressed by how quickly the sheriff’s department tracked down the suspect and recovered portions of the monument.
Kamper also said that to deter thefts, thought should be given to different options in replacing the plaque. The options could include recessing another bronze plaque in granite or placing a granite marker only.
Harrison emphasized his appreciation for the resident who supplied the information that led to the charges. He also praised the efforts of Detective Schoenfeld and Wright City Police Lt. John Malcolm.
